Baby safety car seat convertible into a rollable baby seat

ABSTRACT

A baby safety car seat convertible into a rollable baby seat, and comprising a front, head area and a rear, feet area, the head area being higher than the feet area; a right and left pair of front and rear legs, and a handle. The legs of each pair have distal ends associated with wheels and proximal ends articulated to the seat at corresponding leg attachment area. Both legs are rotatable relative to each other and to the seat between a storage position to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the seat, and an operational position to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of the seat. The legs can have an intermediate position between the storage and operational position, and can be rotatable between the intermediate and operational positions, at least partially under the influence of gravity force.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/263,884 filed on 11 Oct. 2011, which is a U.S. Nationalization of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/IL2010/000307 filed 18 Apr. 2010,which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/212,773 filed 16 Apr. 2009, the contents of each of the foregoingapplications are incorporated herein, in their entirety, by thisreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a baby car seat, which can be used as a babycarrier and can be converted to become rollable for use, for example, asa baby carriage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

WO 01/79022 discloses one example of a convertible baby car seat of thekind, to which the subject matter of the present application refers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the subject matter of the presentapplication, there is provided a baby safety car seat having, at leastwhen in use, a state in which it is convertible into a rollable babyseat, and comprising at least in said state:

-   -   a lower, support portion including a seat lowermost area        configured to contact an external surface to which the seat is        to be mounted, and defining an imaginary horizontal base plane,        and two leg attachment areas on two sides of the lowermost area;    -   an upper, seating portion having a front, head area and a rear,        feet area, the head area being spaced from the base plane to a        distance greater than the feet area; and    -   a right and left pair of front and rear legs, the legs of each        pair having distal ends associated with wheels and proximal ends        articulated to the seat lower portion at the corresponding leg        attachment area, both legs being rotatable relative to each        other and to the seat lower portion between a storage position        to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the seat, in which the        distal ends of the legs are disposed above said base plane, and        an operational position to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of        the seat, in which the distal ends of the legs are disposed        below the plane, at least one of the rear and front legs and,        optionally, both legs of each pair, when in the storage        position, having their distal ends disposed under said head area        of the upper seating portion.

The baby safety car seat can have a horizontal axis disposed above theplane, the legs being rotatable about the axis at locations spaced fromeach other along that axis.

The baby safety car seat can further comprise a locking mechanismconfigured to perform at least one of the following functions on eachpair of the legs:

-   -   (a) to lock at least one of the legs to the lower portion of the        seat in the storage position, allowing rotation of the leg when        unlocked, from its storage position into its operational        position; (b) to lock at least one of the legs, when in the        operational position, to the lower portion of the seat; and    -   (c) at least in the operational position of the legs, to lock        the legs to each other.

Each leg can be configured to move along at least a part of its waybetween the storage position and the operational position under theinfluence of gravity.

The lower portion of the baby safety car seat can have a centrallydisposed base having side surfaces terminating at lower seat edgesdefining a lowermost area of the seat, and two side walls, each spacedfrom the corresponding side surface by the leg attachment area, and ineach pair of the rear and front legs, the proximal end of one of thelegs can be disposed adjacent the corresponding side wall and belockable thereto, and the proximal end of the other of the legs can bedisposed adjacent the corresponding side surface of the base and belockable thereto as well.

The front and rear legs form an angle therebetween whose operationalvalue in the legs' operational position, is at least about 90°, andwhose storage value in the legs' storage position is not greater than20°, in particular not greater than 10°, and still more particularly isclose to 0°.

The baby safety car seat can also contain a handle rotatable about ahandle rotation axis from its storage or carrying position to a pushableposition in which the distal end of the handle is disposed at a distancefrom the head area of the seat that is at least not shorter than adistance between the head and the feet areas, to bring the seat into apushable-carriage mode, the handle being extendible to increase thedistance from its distal end to the base plane.

In accordance with another aspect of the subject matter of the presentapplication, there is provided a baby safety car seat having, at leastwhen in use, a state in which it is convertible into a rollable babyseat, and comprising at least in said state:

-   -   a lower, support portion including a seat lowermost area        configured to contact a vehicle surface to which the seat is to        be mounted and defining an imaginary horizontal base plane, and        two leg attachment areas on two sides of the lowermost area;    -   an upper, seating portion having a front, head area and a rear,        feet area, the head area being spaced from the base plane to a        distance greater than the feet area; and    -   a right and left pair of front and rear legs, the legs of each        pair having distal ends associated with wheels and proximal ends        articulated to the seat lower portion at the corresponding leg        attachment area, both legs being rotatable relative to each        other and to the seat lower portion between a storage position        to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the seat, in which the        distal ends of the legs are disposed above said base plane, and        an operational position to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of        the seat, in which the distal ends of the legs are disposed        below said plane; and    -   a right and a left locking mechanism each disposed in the        corresponding legs attachment area and configured to perform at        least one of the following functions on the pair of the legs        associated therewith: (a) to lock at least one of the legs to        the lower portion of the seat in the storage position, allowing        rotation of the leg when unlocked, from the storage position        into the operational position; (b) to lock at least one of the        legs, when in the operational position, to the lower portion of        the seat; and (c) to lock the legs to each other.

Each locking mechanism can comprise a first locking arrangement havingtwo locking members each for locking to the lower portion of the seatone of the front and rear legs of each pair and a second lockingarrangement configured to lock the legs of each pair to each other, thesecond locking arrangement being optionally constituted by a lockingmember of the first locking arrangement.

In accordance with a further aspect of the subject matter of the presentapplication, there is provided a baby safety car seat having, at leastwhen in use, a state in which it is convertible into a rollable babyseat, and comprising at least in said state:

-   -   a lower, support portion including a seat lowermost area        configured to contact a vehicle surface to which the seat is to        be mounted and defining an imaginary horizontal base plane, and        two leg attachment areas on two sides of the lowermost area;    -   an upper, seating portion having a front, head area and a rear,        feet area, the head area being spaced from the base plane to a        distance greater than the feet area;    -   a handle having a handle distal end and two handle proximal ends        at which the handle is attached to the lower portion of the seat        so as to be rotatable about a horizontal handle rotation axis        parallel to and lying above said horizontal plane, between a        storage position in which the handle distal end is disposed        adjacent the head area of the upper portion of the seat and at        least a carrying position, in which the handle has an        orientation transverse to its rotation axis and is disposed        between the head and the feet areas of the upper portion of the        seat; and    -   a right and left pair of front and rear legs, the legs of each        pair having distal ends associated with wheels and proximal ends        articulated to the seat lower portion at the corresponding leg        attachment area, both legs being rotatable relative to each        other and to the seat lower portion between a storage position        to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the seat, in which the        distal ends of the legs are disposed above said base plane, and        an operational position to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of        the seat, in which the distal ends of the legs are disposed        below said plane, the operational position of the legs being        combinable with the carrying position of the handle.

The handle can be rotatable from its storage or carrying position to apushable position in which the distal end of the handle is disposed at adistance from the head area of the seat that is at least not shorterthan a distance between the head and the feet areas and extendible inthe pushable position to increase the distance from its distal end tosaid plane.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the subject matter of thepresent application, there is provided a baby safety car seat having, atleast when in use, a state in which it is convertible into a rollablebaby seat, and comprising at least in said state:

-   -   a lower, support portion including a seat lowermost area        configured to contact an external surface to which the seat is        to be mounted, and defining an imaginary horizontal base plane,        and two leg attachment areas on two sides of the lowermost area;    -   an upper, seating portion having a front, head area and a rear,        feet area, the head area being spaced from the base plane to a        distance greater than the feet area; and    -   a right and left pair of front and rear legs, the legs of each        pair having distal ends associated with wheels and proximal ends        articulated to the seat lower portion at the corresponding leg        attachment area, each leg being rotatable relative between a        storage position to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the        seat, in which the distal end of the leg is disposed above said        base plane, and an operational position to be taken in a        rolling-carrier mode of the seat, in which the distal end of the        leg is disposed below said plane, via an intermediate position        of the leg; one of the legs being rotatable from its storage        position to its intermediate position, and the other leg being        rotatable between its intermediate position and its operational        position, at least partially under the influence of gravity        force acting thereon;    -   a locking mechanism configured for locking the legs of each pair        to each other at least in the intermediate position of said one        of the legs.

The locking mechanism can be configured to perform at least one of thefollowing functions: (a) to lock at least one of the legs to the lowerportion of the seat in the storage position, allowing rotation of theleg when unlocked, from its storage position into its operationalposition; (b) to lock at least one of the legs, when in the operationalposition, to the lower portion of the seat; and (c) at least in theintermediate position of the legs, to lock the legs to each other.

The baby safety car seat according to the subject matter of the presentapplication can have features of different aspects described above, ortheir equivalents, in any combination thereof, which can also becombined with any feature/s of the seat described in DetailedDescription of Embodiments presented below, or their equivalents.

In addition, the baby safety seat according to the subject matter of thepresent application can have permanent and attachable components, theformer allowing the use of the seat in a conventional manner and thelatter being attachable thereto to bring the seat into a state allowingits conversion into a rollable baby seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carriedout in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way ofnon-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1A to 1C are views of a baby safety car seat assembly according tothe subject matter of the present application, in a storage mode,rolling-carrier mode and pushable-carriage mode;

FIG. 2A shows the seat assembly shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, s in itscarrying mode;

FIG. 2B shows the seat assembly shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, and FIG. 2A, inan intermediate mode between its storage mode and rolling-carrier modeshown in respective FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 2C shows the seat assembly shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, in itsintermediate mode between the rolling-carrier mode shown in FIG. 1B andpushable-carriage mode shown in FIG. 1C;

FIG. 3A and 3B are side and front views, respectively, of the seatassembly shown in the preceding figures, in its rolling carrier modeshown in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 4A to 4D are side, front, top and a perspective view, respectively,a baby seat constituting a part of the seat assembly shown in thepreceding figures;

FIG. 5 is a perspective bottom view of the baby seat shown in FIGS. 4Ato 4D;

FIG. 6A and 6B are side and front views of a handle of the baby seatshown in FIGS. 4A to 5, in its non-extended state;

FIG. 6C is a side view of the handle shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B in itsextended state;

FIG. 6D is a perspective view of the handle shown in FIG. 6A and 6B;

FIG. 7A to 7C are back, front and side views, respectively, of a frontleg of the seat assembly shown in FIGS. 1A to 3B;

FIG. 8A to 8C are back, front and side views, respectively, of a rearleg of the seat assembly shown in FIGS. 1A to 3B;

FIG. 9A and 9B are exploded perspective views of an assembly of thefront and rear legs shown in FIGS. 7A to 8C;

FIG. 10A is a top view of a handle mechanism used in the seat assemblyshown in FIGS. 1A to 3B;

FIG. 10B to 10D are cross sectional views of the handle mechanism, takenline A-A in FIG. 10A, in different positions of the handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A to 2C illustrate a convertable baby safety car seat assembly28, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in differentmodes of its operation. These modes of operation are a storage mode 40shown in FIG. 1A, a rolling-carrier mode 48 shown in FIG. 1B, apushable-carriage mode52 shown in FIG. 1C, as well as a normal carryingmode 46 shown in FIG. 2A, which also constitutes an operationalintermediate mode between the modes 40 and 48, a short-handlepushable-carriage mode 60, which constitutes in operational intermediatemode between the modes 48 and 52, and non-operational intermediate mode50 via which the seat is converted from its mode 46 into its mode 48.

In the following description, the convertable seat assembly 28 will alsobe referred to as a combination-seat or a seat and carriage combination.

With reference to FIGS. 3A to 5, the combination-seat 28 comprises ababy seat 30 (FIG. 4A and 4B) having a lower support portion 44including a seat lowermost area 49 configured to contact a vehiclesurface to which the seat is to be mounted (not shown) and an upperseating portion 51 with a front head area 45 and a rear feet area 47.The seat lowermost area 49 defines an imaginary horizontal base plane29, from which the head area 45 is spaced to a greater distance than thefeet area 47. The combination-seat further comprises two leg attachmentareas 73(shown in FIG. 3) on two sides of the lowermost area locatedabove the base plane and extending along a horizontal axis X of theassembly.

The combination-seat 28 further comprises a pair of frontlegs-and-wheels assemblies 32 and a pair of rear legs-and-wheelsassemblies 34. Each front legs-and-wheels assembly 32 comprises frontsupports legs 31 and front wheels 33. Rear legs-and-wheels 34 assemblycomprises rear supports legs 37 and rear wheels 35.

Each leg support in each of the above assemblies has a distal end 125associated with a wheel and a proximal end 127 articulated to the seatlower portion at the corresponding leg attachment area 73. Each legattachment area 73 accommodates the proximal ends of one rear and onefront leg so that these legs are rotatable relative to each other and tothe seat lower portion between a storage position to be taken in asafety car seat mode of the seat (FIG. 1A), in which the distal ends 125of the legs are disposed above the base plane 29, and an operationalposition to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of the seat (FIG. 1B), inwhich the distal ends 125 of the legs are disposed below the plane 29.

Both legs of each pair, when in the storage position, have their distalends 125 disposed under the head area 45 of the upper seating portion51. The combination-seat further contains an extendable handle 36 havinga handle distal end 61 and handle proximal end 63 and configured torotate about a horizontal handle rotation axis (coinciding with the axisX) from a storage position in the storage mode of the combination-seat28 (FIG. 1A) to a carrying position in the carrying and rollable-carriermodes of the combination-seat (FIG. 2A, 1B) and pushable position in thepushable-carriage mode (FIG. 1C, 2C).

The baby seat 30, front legs-and-wheels assembly 32, rearlegs-and-wheels assembly 34, and handle 36 will all be described in moredetail below.

Baby seat 30 comprises a left and right locking mechanism 38 disposed inthe corresponding legs attachment area 73 having a first lockingarrangement 79 configured to lock each pairs of legs to the lowerportion of the seat in their storage position, and allowing rotation ofthe legs when unlocked, from their storage position into theiroperational position, a second locking arrangement 102 configured tolock the legs of each pair to each other, at least during a part oftheir way between their storage and operational positions and ahorizontal axis X, to which the two pairs of legs-and-wheels and thehandle attach, and by which the two pairs of legs-and-wheels and thehandle rotate relative to the baby seat about the axis X.

The baby seat 30 has a vertical axis Y passing through the distal end 61of the handle and perpendicular to base plane 29, as seen in FIG. 2.

Locking mechanism 38 comprises two generally similar hinges 39, thehinges typically being mirror images of each other. Only one of thehinges is visible in FIGS. 1A to 2C. For each of the four configurationsof combination-seat 28, the locking mechanism maintains the seat 30, thelegs-and-wheels 32 and 34, and the handle 36 in fixed desired positionsrelative to one another. As will be appreciated from the descriptionbelow, locking mechanism 38 allows handle 36 and the sets of legs-andwheels 32, 34 to rotate generally independently, around a common axis.

In a first configuration 40 of combination-seat 28, frontlegs-and-wheels 32, rear legs-and-wheels 34, and handle 36 are held bymechanism 38 in positions that fold the legs-and-wheels and handle to begenerally non-protrusive from baby seat 30. In configuration 40 thelegs-and-wheels and handle are at the back of, and generally conformwith and partially recess into, the baby seat. In the firstconfiguration, (and also in the second, third and fourth configurationsdescribed below) handle 36 is locked.

In order to further facilitate the folding of legs-and-wheels to benon-protrusive, the distances between rear wheels 35 of rearlegs-and-wheels 34 are configured to be shorter than the distancebetween front wheels 33 of front legs-and-wheels 32, so that the frontwheels may at least partly overlap the rear wheels, as is shown inconfiguration 40. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention,the distances between the front wheels are shorter than the distancesbetween the back wheels, to facilitate the non-protrusive aspect. Inaddition, while the rear wheels may be joined by an axle, as describedbelow but not shown in FIG. 1, front wheels 33 are typically onlyconnected to their respective legs, so further enhancing thenon-protrusive ability of the legs-and-wheels by allowing the overlap ofthe front wheels and the rear wheels.

In this non-protrusive state, i.e., in configuration 40,combination-seat 28 may be conveniently positioned on the seat ofpassenger-carrying vehicle such as an automobile or truck. Thus, inconfiguration 40, the combination-seat may be used in a similar manneras prior art baby seats, e.g. a baby may be placed in thecombination-seat, and safety straps of the automobile or truck may bepositioned around the combination, so as to prevent the combination-seatfrom moving. In this configuration the combination seat 28 can beassembled to the vehicle as a rear facing baby seat.

Baby seat 30 typically has an upper, seating section 53 and a lower,base section 42 fixedly coupled to the upper seating section 53, thelower section having lower edges 44 which are advantageously formed as acurve. Although the combination-seat comprises front legs-and-wheels 32,rear legs-and-wheels 34, and handle 36, these elements are folded, asdescribed above. The folding is such that in configuration 40 thecombination-seat may be placed on a flat surface, so that curved loweredges 44 are unobstructed by the handle and the legs-and-wheels soallowing the combination-seat to be rocked on the surface. Typically, asshown in configuration 40 (and in configuration 46 described below),edges of supports 37 are configured to conform with lower edges 44. Thisensures that the legs fold when the combination-seat is placed on a flatsurface.

Because the legs-and-wheels and handle fold to be at the back of thebaby seat, there is no restriction in placing a baby in the seat andpositioning the safety straps, so that the combination-seat inconfiguration 40 acts as a prior art baby seat. Also, there is norestriction on placing the combination-seat on a surface and rocking iton the surface using curved edges 44.

In a second configuration 46 of the combination-seat, frontlegs-and-wheels 32 and rear legs-and-wheels 34 remain positioned as perthe first configuration. However, handle 36 has been moved into avertical position, from its position in the first configuration. Inconfiguration 46 the handle may be used to conveniently carry thecombination-seat, so that in this configuration, the combination-seatacts as a bassinet. Also in configuration 46, lower edges 44 may beplaced on a flat surface, and the combination-seat may be rocked on thesurface, typically using the handle to perform the rocking.

To transfer between configuration 40 and configuration 46, a user of thecombination-seat presses on two cams 41 so that the handle is free tomove between the two positions. Cam 41 is shown in more detail, and itsoperation is explained, with reference to FIGS. 10B to 10D. The pressureon cams 41 frees the locking mechanism of the hinges, allowing handle 36to rotate, in this case between configurations 40 and 46 in which thecombination seat can be used as a baby carrier. In configuration 46 thehandle 36 is located such that its end 61 to be held by the user isdisposed on the axis Y passing through the center of gravity of theassembly CG, allowing the user to lift the seat from the ground and keepit parallel to the ground while carrying the seat with the baby therein.

In a third configuration 48 of the combination-seat, frontlegs-and-wheels 32 and rear legs-and-wheels 34 rotate around lockingmechanism 38 to be below curved edges 44. Handle 36 remains in the sameposition as per the second configuration 46. For clarity, configuration50 illustrates the positions of the legs-and-wheels as thecombination-seat moves between the second and third configurations. Inthe third configuration front legs-and-wheels 32 and rearlegs-and-wheels 34 are positioned in operative positions, so that thewheels of the legs-and-wheels may be used to wheel the combination-seat.Thus, in the third configuration, the combination-seat is operative as abassinet with legs and wheels. Typically, the wheels of one pair oflegs-and-wheels are coupled to the respective pair of legs so as to beable to rotate the wheels around an axis that is orthogonal to thesymmetry axis of rotation of the wheels. This freedom of rotation of oneset of wheels allows the combination-seat to be easily steered in anydirection. Thus, in the third configuration, the combination-seat may beoperated in a similar manner to a baby carrier.

To transfer between the second and third configurations, each leg isconfigured to move along at least a part of its way between the storageposition and the operational position under the influence of gravity.The combination-seat user operates a spring-loaded legs unlockingmechanism 56, using a handle 54. Mechanism 56, not visible in FIGS. 1Ato 2C, is described in more detail below, with reference to FIG. 5. Themechanism locks the two sets of legs-and-wheels in either the loweredposition of the third configuration, or the folded recessed position ofthe second configuration. Between the two locked positions, the sets oflegs-and-wheels are free to rotate around locking mechanism 38.Typically, in moving from second configuration 46 to third configuration48 the user pulls on handle 54, and gravity acts to lower the sets oflegs-and-wheels to their locked operating position of configuration 48.To move from configuration 48 to configuration 46, the user pulls onhandle 54, and provides an initial push to the rear set oflegs-and-wheels after which the user lowers the seat, with the help ofthe seat's own weight to their locked position in configuration 46.

In transferring between second configuration 46 and third configuration48, hinges 39, as explained in more detail below, limit the rotation offront legs-and-wheels 32 to approximately 70°, and the rotation of rearlegs-and-wheels 34 to approximately 120°. The angle between the legs inthe operational position is at approximately 100°, and in the storageposition the value is close to 0°.

In an intermediate configuration 60 of the combination-seat, frontlegs-and-wheels 32 and rear legs-and-wheels 34 are in the samepositions, relative to seat 30, as in third configuration 48. Inconfiguration 60 handle 36 is initially in a non-extended arrangement,as indicated in configurations 46 and 48. In the intermediateconfiguration the handle rotates from the third configuration 48, aroundlocking mechanism 38, so as to be at an angle α to the base plane 29.

Locking mechanism 38 is used to transfer from the third configuration tothe intermediate configuration 60, the user pressing on the two cams 41so that the handle is free to move between the positions of the twoconfigurations. Locking mechanism 38 may be configured so that the angleα of the handle to the vertical axis Y in the intermediate configurationis any convenient angle.

In a fourth configuration 52 handle 36 extends along its own length toform a lengthened handle to increase the distance from its distal end 61to the base plane 29, in an extended arrangement shown in FIG. 1C, thehandle being designed to telescope within itself. The extension of thehandle may be by any convenient length. A user of the combination-seatextends the handle from the intermediate configuration 60 toconfiguration 52, wherein spring stoppers 58 lock the handle in itsextended state. Stoppers 58 act in a similar fashion to the control ofan umbrella, allowing a user of the combination-seat to retract thehandle by pushing in on the stoppers. Spring stoppers 58 are describedin more detail with reference to FIG. 10A to 10D,

The combination-seat is constructed so that only in the fourthconfiguration may the handle be extended.

Typically, the angle of the handle and the amount of its extension inconfiguration 52 are selected so that an end of the handle used to pushor pull the combination-seat in configuration 52 is at a convenientheight for an adult to operate the combination-seat as a baby carriage,when both the adult and the carriage are on a level surface. Thus, inconfiguration 52, the combination-seat may be operated in a similarmanner to a baby carriage.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a side view and a front view of third configuration48, showing overall dimensions in mm., according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. It will be understood that dimensions given in FIGS.3A and 3B, and in other figures of the present disclosure, are by way ofexample, and any other convenient dimensions may be implemented. Thefront view (FIG. 3B) illustrates the positioning and separation of rearwheels 35 and front wheels 33. As shown in the figure, rear wheels 35are connected by an axle 62. In contrast, front wheels 33 are connectedby rotatable couplings 64, 66 which allow the front wheels to be steeredin any direction.

FIG. 3B also shows a shaft 68 of locking mechanism 38, described in moredetail with respect to FIG. 5.

FIGS. 4A to 4D shows side, front, top and perspective views of seat 30,showing exemplary overall dimensions and some internal dimensions of theseat, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The viewsillustrate an outer, handle-related hinge portion 70 of one of hinges39. As shown in the side view, portion 70 comprises three recesses 72,74, 76, and a sloped indent 75 in a face 71, within seat 30. Therecesses allow handle 36 to be locked into the three handle positionsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C. Hinge portion 70 and itselements are also shown in FIG. 4, and described in more detail below,with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective bottom view of seat 30, according to anembodiment of the present invention. The view shows elements of lockingmechanism 38 allowing transfer between the second and thirdconfigurations and elements of legs control handle mechanism 56. Thetransfer is accomplished by pulling on legs control handle 54, which isconnected by a cabling-sleeve 78 to shaft 68. As shown by arrows in thefigure, pulling on handle 54 pulls on a cable 84 within sleeve 78,causing two locking pins 80, 82 to move inwards to retracted positions.Pins 80 and 82 are spring loaded, and slide in holes within lowersection 42. In their retracted positions, the pins disengage from firstholes 115 (shown in FIG. 9A) located on and extending partially throughthe proximal ends 127 of the rear legs-and-wheels 34 allowing rotationof the legs-and-wheels between the second and third configurations.Front legs-and wheels 32 also rotate, but rather than engaging with pins80, 82, the front legs-and-wheels are held in position by pin 102. Onrelease of the handle 54, the pins return to their un-retractedpositions engaging second holes 117 (shown in FIG. 9A) located on andextending partially through the proximal ends of the rearlegs-and-wheels 34 and a radial distance away from the first holes 115,locking the legs-an-wheels in their positions for the second or thirdconfiguration. If the handle 54 is released between the twoconfigurations, the legs-and-wheels may still rotate, but will springlock into either the second or third configuration, whicheverconfiguration is first.

FIGS. 6A to 6D show three views of handle 36 in its non-extendedconfiguration(FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6D), and one view of the handle in itsextended configuration(FIG. 6C), according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In the non-extended configuration, cam 41 may bepushed in, so that the handle may be moved to and between the first andsecond configurations. In the extended configuration, cam 41 protrudesmore than in the non-extended case, and acts to release the handle so itcan be pulled out to its extended position. The operation of cam 41 isillustrated and described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 10A to10D.

FIGS. 7A to 9B respectively show views of one front support 31, one rearsupport 37, and how the two supports couple together, according toembodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C and 9A to 9B, front support 31 comprises adisc-like section 90, which is configured to rotate within hinge 39.Section 90 has an arcuate recess 92 within a face 98 of the section. Apin 100, shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, travels within the recess and acts asa motion limiter in conjunction with pin 102 to limit the amount ofrotation of support 31, relative to support 37 to approximately 90°. Inaddition, section 90 comprises a through hole 94 through which aninterlocking sloped pin 102, shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, passes. Thepurpose of pin 102 is to assist in smooth and full legs-and-wheelsunfolding/folding. It prevents the front wheels from being stuck intothe rear wheels while the legs are folded back. In addition, the twocam-like protuberances 96 limit the amount of rotation of support 31 inhinge 39 to approximately 70°.

As shown in FIGS. 8A to 9B, rear support 37 comprises a disc-likesection 110 which is also configured to rotate within hinge 39. Section110 has a face 112, upon which eccentric pin 100 is formed. On aninternal circular surface of section 110 there are two cam-likeprotuberances 114 which limit the amount of rotation of support 37 inhinge 39 to approximately 180°. In addition, section 110 comprises aslanted indent 116, corresponding with the slant of sloped pin 102 intowhich pin 102 slides. As described above with reference to FIGS. 1A to2C, supports 37 are typically curved so that in configurations 40 and46, the supports conform with edges 44.

FIG. 9A and 9B shows a first view and a second view of support 31 and37, illustrating how the two supports couple together. Face 112 ofsupport 37 and face 98 of support 31 butt together, so that pin 100 isable to travel in recess 92. A short cylindrical-type main axle 120couples section 110 and section 90. The axle 120 is rigidly screwmounted to base section 42 via holes 121 located on the axle 120, holes77 located on surface 71 and holes 83 located on surface 43 preventingthe front and rear legs and wheels from falling out of the space betweenthe side surfaces. Shaft 68 which is coupled to pins 80 and 82 is offsetvertically and downwardly from the axle.

A circular ridge 122 on axle 120 acts to maintain a separation betweenthe two sections. Straight ridges 124 of axle 120 rotate within section110 and, by contacting protuberances 114, limit the rotation of section110. Straight ridges 126 of axle 120, continuations of ridges 124,rotate within section 90 and, by contacting protuberances 96, limit therotation of section 90. As explained above, support 37 rotates byapproximately 180° with respect to seat 30, and support 31 rotates byapproximately 90° with respect to the seat, so that the two supportsrotate by approximately 90° with respect to each other. The rotations ofsections 90 and 110 by these limited amounts is achieved, as describedabove, by axle 120, its ridges, pin 102 and pin 100 operating in recess92.

FIGS. 10A to 10D show details of hinge 39, and the movement of handle 36within the hinge, between configurations, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Handle 36 comprises cam 41, which isspring-loaded and which allows the handle to be locked in the threepositions described above, i.e., in the positions of the firstconfiguration, the second and third configurations, and in the fourthconfiguration. For simplicity, cam 41 is only illustrated for the second(and third) configuration, for the fourth configuration, and for anintermediate position between the two configurations. Those havingordinary skill in the art will be able to adapt the followingdescription for cam 41 for the first configuration and for positionsintermediate the first and second configurations.

Cam 41 comprises two protrusions 130 and 132. As described below,protrusion 130 acts to ensure that handle 36 can only be extended in thefourth configuration. In some embodiments the combination-seat isconfigured so that the only allowable change from the extended handlestate of the fourth configuration is for the handle to return to itsretracted state. Protrusion 130 ensures that the handle is notextendible in the first, second, or third configurations.

FIG. 10B shows protrusion 132 mating with recess 74, so that the handle,which is fixedly attached to the cam, is locked in the secondconfiguration. In this configuration the handle is vertical. Protrusion130, penetrates into a space 135 of a telescopic part 133 of handle 36,so that stops 134 and 136, typically formed as one part, within thetelescopic part prevent part 133 from being moved within the handle.Spring stopper 58 is shown as being within the handle.

FIG. 10C shows an intermediate position, wherein cam 41 has been pushedin, so that the protrusion 132 no longer mates with recess 74. In thisintermediate position, protrusion 132 is between recesses 74 and 72. Asfor the second configuration, protrusion 130, together with stops 134and 136, prevents handle 36 from being extended.

FIG. 10D shows protrusion 132 mating with recess 72, so that the handleis locked in the fourth configuration. Recess 72 is deeper than recesses76 and 74, so that cam 41 rotates further away from handle 36 comparedto its position for diagrams 140 and 142. By rotating further away fromthe handle, protrusion 130 no longer penetrates into space 135, so thatpart 133 of handle 36 may be extended. The handle may thus be extendeduntil spring stopper 58 is free of the lower part of the handle,whereupon spring stopper 58 extends from the handle as shown in FIGS. 1and 5, locking the handle in its extended state.

Reverting to FIGS. 9A and 9B there are shown exploded views of elementsof combination-seat 28, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. As described above, pin 102 moves through hole 94. The pinmoves between two positions. In a first position, the pin extendsthrough hole 94 into indent 75, and the pin is held in place by buttingwith face 112, against which the pin may slide. In the first position,the pin locks front support 31 to surface 71. The first position of pin102 occurs in configurations 40 and 46 (FIGS. 1A and 2A).

In a second position, pin 102 extends through hole 94 into indent 116,and the pin is held in place by butting with face 71, against which thepin may slide. In the second position, the pin locks front support 31 torear support 37. The second position of pin 102 occurs in configurations48, 52 and 60 (FIGS. 1B, 1C and 2C).

Pin 102 typically has faces that are sloped and that conform with slopedfaces of indent 75 and indent 116, so as to facilitate easy transitionbetween the first and second positions. The transition and operation ofpin 102 is accomplished without requiring any springs to maintain thepin in its positions, or to transfer it between the positions in thefollowing manner, pulling on handle 54 will cause pins 82 and 80 toretract from holes 115, as a result rear legs and wheels 34 will startto rotate around axle 120, while front legs and wheels are still lockedto the body via pin 102 located partially inside pocket 75 and hole 94,during rotation of rear legs and wheels 34 hole 94 aligns with hole 116,at this point pin 102 slides under the influence of gravity along aslanted side surface out of pocket 75 and into hole 116 via hole 94until pin 102 abuts surface 71, at this point front legs and wheels 32are connected to rear legs and wheels 34, this connection causes thefront legs and wheels 32 to push rear legs and wheels 34 and rotate tothe operational position per configuration 48 and 52, at this point thesecond set of holes 117 on the rear legs and wheels are aligned withpins 80 and 82 and releasing the handle 54 will cause pins 80 and 82 tospring into holes 117 and lock the rear legs and wheels to the base. Bylocking the front legs and wheels to each other via pin 102 and 100, andby locking the rear legs and wheels to the base via pins 80 and 82 theassembly is locked in the operational position.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are cited byway of example, and various features thereof and combinations of thesefeatures can be varied and modified. For example, the front and rearlegs can be rotatable in different directions and have their storagepositions on different sides of their common horizontal axis; the legscan be detachably attachable to the lower portion of the seat to bringit into a state allowing its conversion into a rollable seat, etc.

1. A baby safety car seat having, at least when in use, a state in whichthe baby safety car seat is convertible into a rollable baby seat, thebaby safety car seat, at least in the state, comprising: a lower,support portion including a seat lowermost area configured to contact avehicle surface to which the seat is to be mounted and defining animaginary horizontal base plane, and two leg attachment areas on twosides of the lowermost area; an upper, seating portion having a front,head area and a rear, feet area, the head area being spaced from thebase plane to a distance greater than the feet area; a handle having ahandle distal end and two handle proximal ends at which the handle isattached to the lower portion of the seat so as to be rotatable about asubstantially horizontal handle rotation axis substantially parallel toand lying above the imaginary horizontal plane, between a storageposition in which the handle distal end is disposed adjacent to the headarea of the upper portion of the seat and at least a carrying position,in which the handle has an orientation transverse to the substantiallyhorizontal handle rotation axis and is disposed between the head and thefeet areas of the upper portion of the seat; and a right and left pairof front and rear legs, the legs of each pair having distal endsassociated with wheels and proximal ends articulated to the seat lowerportion at the corresponding leg attachment area, both legs beingrotatable relative to each other and to the seat lower portion between astorage position to be taken in a safety car seat mode of the seat, inwhich the distal ends of the legs are disposed above the base plane, andan operational position to be taken in a rolling-carrier mode of theseat, in which the distal ends of the legs are disposed below theimaginary horizontal plane, the operational position of the legs beingcombinable with the carrying position of the handle.
 2. The baby safetyseat according to claim 1, wherein the handle is rotatable from thestorage or carrying position to a pushable position in which the distalend of the handle is disposed at a distance from the head area of theseat that is at least not shorter than a distance between the head andthe feet areas.
 3. The baby safety seat according to claim 2, whereinthe handle is extendible in the pushable position to increase thedistance from the distal end to the imaginary horizontal base plane. 4.The baby safety seat according to claim 1, wherein the legs arerotatable about a legs rotation axis that is spaced from a substantiallyvertical line passing through the distal end of the handle substantiallyperpendicularly to the imaginary horizontal base plane.
 5. The babysafety seat according to claim 4, wherein the legs rotation axissubstantially coincides with the handle rotation axis.
 6. The babysafety seat according to claim 1, wherein each leg is configured to movealong at least a part of a way between the storage position and theoperative position under the influence of gravity.
 7. The baby safetyseat according to claim 6, wherein one of the rear and front legs ismovable relative to the other leg before locking of the other legthereto, under the influence of gravity force acting thereon, and afterthe locking the other leg is movable under the influence of gravityforce acting thereon.
 8. The baby safety car seat according to claim 7,wherein the lower portion of the seat has a centrally disposed basehaving side surfaces terminating at lower seat edges defining thelowermost area of the seat, and two side walls, each being spaced fromthe corresponding side surface by the leg attachment area.
 9. The babysafety car seat according to claim 8, wherein in each pair of the rearand front legs, the proximal end of one of the legs is disposed adjacentto the corresponding side wall and is lockable thereto at least in thestorage position, and the proximal end of the other of the legs isdisposed adjacent to the corresponding side surface of the base and islockable thereto at least in the storage position.
 10. The baby safetyseat according to claim 8, wherein each side wall has inner and outerfaces, the proximal ends of the handle being rotatably attached to theouter faces of the side walls.